Concordia University of Edmonton facing $3.7M lawsuit over doctoral program
CBC
Six women who enrolled in Concordia University of Edmonton's first-ever doctoral program in 2021 are now suing the school, alleging they could not graduate on time because the school did not offer enough clinical field placements.
A statement of claim filed with the Edmonton Court of King's Bench in June alleges Concordia cancelled the students' spring assessment practicum course in the spring of 2023 and informed them their clinical field placements with Alberta Health Services for the next academic year would also not happen.
About two years into the five-year doctor of psychology (PsyD) in clinical psychology program, according to the document, the students received an official email saying the school would not be able to offer every student the requirements to graduate on time.
Students told CBC News in interviews that they scrambled to make alternate plans for the 2023-24 school year.
Three of the students ended up enrolling in a similar program at a university in the U.S., one enrolled in a PhD program at the University of Alberta and the remaining two returned to working in private practice, shelving their dreams of earning doctorate degrees indefinitely.
"Those two years that I spent and all the tuition money is all just for nothing," said Krista Buyer, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
Buyer said she stopped working as a registered psychologist to study at Concordia full-time and had prioritized school over spending time with her family.
The statement of claim also alleges some of the students were bullied and harassed by the university's clinic manager and that students had raised concerns with the school on multiple occasions earlier in the year but had been reassured the program was still on track.
The students' statement of claim says Concordia's actions jeopardized the continuity of their education, caused significant stress and led to financial losses.
The students are seeking nearly $3.7 million in damages.
The university is denying the allegations, saying in a statement of defence that the doctoral program was never cancelled and that the "actual length" of the program depends on multiple factors, including the availability of clinical placements.
Concordia, an independent academic institution that receives 30 per cent of its revenue from Government of Alberta grants, announced in a February 2021 press release that the doctor of psychology in clinical psychology was the school's first-ever doctoral program.
Students told CBC News there were nine students enrolled in the program's inaugural cohort.
According to the statement of claim, students received an email in early May 2023 that their spring assessment practicum course was cancelled.
